Irwin honored for spreading history

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and members of the John Rice Irwin Anderson County Chapter of Sons of the Revolution recently honored lifelong historian John Rice Irwin.

Special to The Oak Ridger

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and members of the John Rice Irwin Anderson County Chapter of Sons of the Revolution recently honored lifelong historian John Rice Irwin.

Frank, members of the local Sons of the Revolution Chapter, and Irwin’s family and friends gathered at Meadow View Assisted Living, where he now lives, near the Museum of Appalachia, which he co-founded with his late wife, Elizabeth, in 1969. The purpose of the gathering: to honor Irwin with a proclamation recognizing his dedication to preserving the history of the Appalachian region and its people.

The county mayor, at the request of SOR member Lynn Fox, prepared a proclamation that proclaimed April 16, 2013 as John Rice Irwin Day in Anderson County.

Following the reading of the proclamation, Irwin shared stories about local history and his part in preserving the past for future generations.

Irwin thanked the SOR members and Mayor Frank for the proclamation, and urged the SOR to continue its efforts to remind people about local history.

“To know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been,” Irwin said. “This area has a rich history, and you all do a great job of preserving it.”

“Many people think of history or important things happening in other places, but Mr. Irwin has a valuable understanding of all the incredible things that have happened right here in Anderson County,” Frank said. “He has the rare ability to share our local history in a way that makes it easy and enjoyable to understand.”

Irwin founded The Museum of Appalachia in 1969. The Museum portrays an authentic mountain farm/village with some three dozen historic log structures, exhibit buildings filled with thousands of authentic Appalachian artifacts, gardens surrounded by split rail fences and farm animals.

In 2001, the Museum was incorporated as a 501(c) (3) organization to ensure its long-term sustainability, according to its website. In April 2007, the Internal Revenue Service granted the Museum permanent status as a publicly supported organization. The Museum is associated with the Smithsonian Institution’s Affiliations Program.